A New Journey
by TerraHeartnet
Summary: Just after the last journey ended, Watanuki sends the trio, Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai on their next adventure. The main goal this time: get the remaining feathers and rescue a captured woman named Echidna Parass. The first World they drop into almost instantly gets them face to face with Train Heartnet. Set before World Chronicle. KuroFai implied. BEING REWRITTEN AND CONTINUED!
1. The Circus is in Town

_"_ _It's time for me to go my own way, don't you think?"_

 _"_ _Maybe, but it isn't up to me."_

 _I laughed, "You're right there! We'll meet up eventually. Until then," I waved to my old partner. It definitely was the right time. Princess just got her license and Sven didn't need two partners. I figured I had mooched off him enough. It was time to make my own way in the world. All I needed to do was take the first step._

-`-,

 _"_ _My real name is Tsubasa!"_

 _We said it in unison. Then Clow was gone, along with Princess Tsubasa. I knew I'd be back, it was only a matter of time with Mokona and his new earring. Now the battle was over. We had finally succeeded! We could live the rest of our lives free of fate, our futures undetermined._

 _I was thinking that exact thought when we landed in front of The Shop. Watanuki stood in front of us with a worried expression, "There's still more that needs to be done, Syaoran-kun."_

 _-`-,_

"Maria Thompson, a.k.a. Precious. Class B criminal. She's not very lethal, in most cases at least, but has stolen 6 of the 7 most valuable jewels in the world. Most likely she'll go after the last to finish her collection. Of course, you didn't hear this from me," the thief-for-hire winked.

"Looks like you're getting jealous Rins, especially if you're asking me!" That comment served to get me punched on the head.

"This is strictly business, Train! Although she refuses to be hired, people are still asking. I have to make money to live so you better catch her!" I gave her a bored look. I didn't care about her little grudge, but she knew that already. What I really wanted to know, "Her bounty is 30 grand."

"You got a deal!" I get 30,000 bucks and she gets her clients back. Seemed fair to me.

It had only been a year since I left Sven and the Princess. Providing for myself wasn't easy and I still had the enormous debt to pay off, but I did well. Every now and then I'd meet up with the other two to swap stories and make sure we were all alive. Princess always seemed to somehow mature; I blamed the books.

It was still weird to not have them around anymore. I was back to riding my motorcycle because of it. Cars were too spacious for one guy. I guess it was a little lonely, but just a tad. I liked my life. I was a stray cat laying down my own path, not the path of an owner.

Anyway, back to the point! For this particular target, I traveled to Caffe Cait Sith for some information. "Hey Annette!" I yelled as I threw open the door.

"Always have to make an entrance, huh?" she replied. Then she poured some milk and started shaping the rice balls.

"Always! Anyway, got any news on a thief named Precious?"

-`-,

"So we have to find a man we've never seen, save a girl who was kidnapped, and retrieve the remaining feathers along the way. Did I get everything?" Kurogane steamed. He wasn't particularly fond of this new quest, even though he had agreed.

"And get the feather the man has with him! Don't forget that, Kuro-sama!" Fai added to the list. He received a deathly glare from the taller man but seemed not to notice, "I think we can talk about this later, though. I would like to know where we are first." he continued, not dropping his smile.

He was right, of course. The new world we landed in was very strange. It seemed as though a carnival was occurring. Men and women in bright colored outfits walked down the street or rode on floats while people crowded the side walk.

We had landed on a bridge overlooking the parade. It looked like thousands of people were here. Those around us looked suspiciously. It was understandable. We hadn't change since we arrived and all donned clothes from Clow Country. We looked like we should be _in_ the parade, not watching it.

We moved on and found a more secluded spot to discuss our current objectives. We decided on an abandoned street and stopped in front of a closed store called 'Lisky.'

"We were followed," Fai was the first to voice it, but we all knew. "Who wants to confront them?"

"You do it."

"But Kurgy, you're so good at this type of thing!" After a grunt from Kurogane, Fai whistled. A stack of boxes a few meters away toppled over revealing a tall green haired man in a white suit. He looked pretty stunned by the sudden movement. "Who might you be?" Fai spoke with a chuckle.

Regaining his composure, the man answered, "Someone who's more than a bit suspicious of three weirdoes meeting in and alley."

Before Kurogane could go off on him, something came out of the sky. It was aimed directly at Fai, but he didn't even flinch. Kurogane's sword was out and blocking the threat. Fai had his eyes closed and chuckled at this.

Suddenly, a net was shot at us. Another whistle sounded and the net hit an invisible barrier, landing at our feet. "Now, Now. That wasn't very nice."

"Tch, wasn't very creative either," Kurogane said, smirking at the girl he had blocked. She had short blonde hair, red eyes, and no weapon. I wondered how she attacked us at all.

"We don't want to fight! If you're willing to listen, I can explain," I told them. They looked like the listening type so I had to give it a chance.

"That all depends, are you part of the 'Mohawk' Gang?" The man spoke. I remembered the Mohawk Gang from a few worlds. Apparently they had one here, too.

"No. We're not part of any gang. We came here searching for something."

"Oh yeah? What exactly are you looking for?" he questioned. The man wouldn't give an inch. I considered my options. I couldn't tell him the whole story, but he'd just attack again if I didn't reply. "Well, spit it out!"

"We're looking for something that his girlfriend lost," Kurogane said, pointing his thumb in my direction. Fai looked away from me and tried to hide a laugh.

"Kurogane-san!" I yelled, embarrassed. I could feel my face heating up.

Kurogane ignored me completely and stared at the man. Both of their stares were unwavering, as if they were just testing each other. Fai was doing the same with the woman. She ran over to her elder and whispered in his ear. Fai's eyes darkened at this sight. With his vampire self still intact, he could probably hear every word.

"Well, you don't seem to be lying about that," he smiled and the kid eased up a bit.

"Well now that that's over with, would you mind telling us where we are?" Fai asked, expression unchanged.

"Elsida City," she replied. Her voice was kind, "My name is Eve."

"I'm Sven, nice to meet you," he said in what could only be described as a gentlemanly voice.

"A pleasure, my name is Fai D. Flourite. This is Syaoran and-"

"Kurogane," he knew Fai would make up some random name and decided to introduce himself. Fai pouted a bit. He hated to lose a chance to poke fun at Kurogane.

"And I'm Mokona Modoki! Mokona for short!" I hadn't noticed that Mokona had climbed out of Fai's coat and onto his head.

"Nice of you to join us," Fai laughed. Sven and Eve looked at Mokona like every other person had, wide eyed and surprised.

"I had a good dream! We saw all our old friends and then I heard Fai whistle so I woke up!" Mokona then jumped into Eve's hands. "You're strange, strange, strange!"

" _I'm_ strange? What are you?"

"Mokona is Mokona!"

"He's like our mascot," Fai looked her in the eyes, "If I may ask, how did you attack us like that?" We were all wondering the same thing.

Eve's eyes were untrusting. I didn't blame her, it took me some time to get used to his deadly, vampiric aura. Without talking, she extended her arm to the side and morphed it into a mallet.

"Wheet-whoo! Impressive!"

"Didn't I say not to make that stupid sound?!" Kurogane growled. Fai feigned fear for a moment.

"Now now, it would be bad for me to whistle! Who knows what would happen?" he gave a look that said 'I _dare_ you to talk' before continuing, "Perhaps we could talk elsewhere? We seem to be too suspicious here."

Sven laughed, "Well I have someone to meet up with anyway! We'll have to take the train, though. Got enough money?"

I shifted uncomfortably, "Currently, we have no money. We just arrived here."

Sven raised an eyebrow at this but, thankfully, decided not to ask. "Well I guess I can cover you this time. I did mistake you for gang members after all," He chuckled.

The train traveled through desert land on rails and cables. It jostled much more than the ones we had previously encountered. Sven and Eve didn't seem to care at all; they were too used to the constant shifting. Kurogane was standing outside the bathroom. Fai was in it, most likely throwing up. I was getting a headache.

"First time on the train?" Sven smirked at me.

"Yeah," I said without thinking. They looked at each other before turning the stare at me questioningly. "Um, like I said, we're new here…"

"Yeah, right. So, what is it you're looking for?" Sven, thankfully, changed the topic.

I thought about how to answer for a moment. Could I just tell the truth? "Well, it's hard to explain, but we're looking for… feathers. We got information that someone with one of them came here, kidnapped a woman, and disappeared," I recounted the information Watanuki could give us after we paid for a lead. "Have you heard anything like that?"

"Well that would depend on names. Many criminals just fall off the radar, it could be any number of people. Who was taken?"

"I think her name was Echidna Parass-"

"Echidna?! How the hell could that happen?" Apparently, Sven knew the girl very well, "She's not easy to take down, and she has the power of Tao."

"Tao?" I had never heard of such a power, but it sounded like a word from my home language.

"It's a martial art. Well, sort of anyway. Echidna could open gates in the atmosphere. She can pass from one point in space to another."

"That's probably why she was targeted. With a power like that _and_ the feather," I shook my head. The man hadn't just disappeared, he left this world entirely.

"We're almost there. I'm meeting someone who will be more help to you. I think it would be good for you to meet him."


	2. Proof

When Sven and Eve came through the door, I was excited. I hadn't seen them in a few months and was glad to find them alive. Not that I'd ever assume them dead, they were just late this time.

When they brought company, I was confused. Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona were a mismatched group if ever there was one, but they seemed pretty close. I could tell they were all loyal, fierce, and hiding something. They were hiding something big and I wanted in on it.

After hearing that Echidna was taken, I started to think of who even knew she was a Taoist. It would have to have been an Apostle of the Stars. It was either the Doctor, or Deak Slathky. The Doctor's Tao was pretty weak so I guessed it was Deak. He had the power of ice; he could easily have captured her within it.

"It would have to have been Deak, don't you think? He knew about her power and had the means to capture her. Especially with her protecting Creed."

"That would be true, if I hadn't already checked. He's still in prison," Sven just had to shoot me down.

"Could it even be Doc-"

"It doesn't really matter who did it. We can find them if we know what Echidna looks like. Do you a picture or something?" Sven and I both looked at the peppy blonde like he was stupid, even though I had done the same thing only a few years ago. Everyone had a picture of her, she was a famous actress.

"Ok, now it's time for a full explanation. You never rode on a train before, you have no money, and now you don't know who Echidna is. She's famous. Where are you from?" Sven asked. I wondered why he hadn't asked them in the first place. Sure, they seemed trustworthy, but who could tell for sure?

Syaoran looked around before answering. The shop was closed for the night so no one else, besides Annette, was there, "W-well, we come from someplace _very_ far away."

"Another dimension to be exact," Fai chipped in, elbows resting on the table with a cup of sake between his hands. Mr. Black, with equal drink, just shook his head.

"What? Are you nuts?" I said. There was no point in being polite, and it wasn't my strong suit anyway.

"Afraid not! We all came from different dimensions at the beginning of this journey with different wishes. Since then we've been traveling from world to world in search of the feathers. We can prove it to you as well, in multiple ways," the blonde gave Kurogane a cat like grin.

"Wait! No way in hell!" he shouted. Fai just laughed at him.

"Well I guess I have no choice then. Since Kuronpa," Fai poked his left shoulder, causing Kurogane to flinch, "won't show you, I guess I'll prove it. This world has no magic besides Tao, Correct?" Sven nodded, "Well, I do. Remember when I whistled and the boxes you were hiding behind fell? Or when the net fell in front of us? That was a type of magic I know, though not what I'm used to."

"Magic. That's your proof? That could be coincidence and bad luck," Sven wasn't believing any of this either.

"Oh, but there is no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability," he sounded like he was quoting someone much more serious than he, "Besides, how different is it from Tao anyway? Is it really so unbelievable?"

"Tao is a martial art. It has a rational explanation. Last time I checked, magic doesn't," Sven loved using logic. I went for a less tactful approach.

"Let me guess, vampires and werewolves exist too, right?" I gave a dull look.

"Hmph, never met a werewolf before," Kurogane mumbled.

"Oh, Kuro-puppy, you don't know that for sure. However, vampires are real. Though, they're different from most legends I've heard," Fai grinned sadistically. "Anyway, the question now is about magic. It has an explanation and a physical presence in most cases," he pulled his middle and index fingers together and held them straight. A small ball of light appeared at the end of them and he drew glowing symbols with it, "These are runes. They each have a different meaning to them, similar to a written language. The major difference is, when put together, they hold a magical force."

Eve looked a little scared of the three floating runes, and asked, "What kind of force?"

"It all depends on the combination. These," he waved his hand to where Kurogane was sitting, "are for Kuro-pippi's arm." They melded into his left arm and he visibly relaxed.

I was stunned, as was Princess and Sven. He had magic that wasn't Tao. I could _feel_ the power of it, "If this is true, and not some light trick, then Echidna was captured because she opened worm holes."

Fai nodded his head, "It takes a great deal of power to cross dimensions. If I had to guess, the feather enhanced her ability and made it possible," his smile had faded and was replaced with a serious stare, "If I've guessed correctly, it's impossible for you to find her."

"Why can't we go with you?" Eve asked. She wanted to help in any way she could, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.

"Balance must be kept, so a price is paid in order to stabilize the dimensions. It's quite steep, though," Fai put on a somber look.

"We all had to pay a price for the ability to travel like this. I wouldn't ask you to give anything up," Syaoran's voice was overly caring.

"I want to help! It's my _job_ to help those in need!" she argued.

"What do you value most? What's most precious to you? That's the price," Kurogane finally spoke.

Eve was thinking about the question. What did she find most important? Probably Sven. He was the one who rescued her, after all. What did I find most precious? It used to be Saya, but she was gone now. So, what could it be? I guess it would be my freedom. Could I give it up? I don't think so, not after all I went through to acquire it. "What exactly did you guys pay?" I asked.

The atmosphere took a drastic change. Fai looked down and wouldn't speak. "My price was time. Seven years to be exact," Syaoran was the first to answer.

"The damn witch took my sword!" Kurogane barked.

I looked at Fai and waited for an answer. When he looked up he wore a sad smile, "My price… is a long story meant for a different time."

"So you cared most about a sword, and you cared most about time?" Sven asked.

"It was a family heirloom," Kurogane mumbled.

"Sure. What's your reason?" Sven continued, looking at an uncomfortable Syaoran.

"In a way, Syaoran paid more than we did. Don't take his payment so lightly," for a change, Fai was almost glaring.

"So you're saying _you_ can travel worlds, but _we_ can't do a damn thing?" Sven was getting pretty worked up over this. To be honest, I was too. Whether we had fought in the past or not didn't matter, Echidna was from this world and should be saved by us. We're sweepers, our job is taking out the trash. Whoever had the guts to kidnap her is _definitely_ class A trash!

"Of course you can travel with them."

A projection of a young boy appeared out of the white thing's jewel. The boy had black hair, one blue eye, and one brown, "Who _else_ is going to show up?"

"Don't be so rude! I'm the one who can grant your wish." This got me to look up, "You want to travel through worlds because you feel it's your responsibility to get the woman back. I can make that happen."

"How exactly can you do that?"

"Simple, you pay the correct price and you can travel with them," he motioned to the trio.

"Tch, just like the witch," the boy looked royally pissed off at that comment.

Before he could go off on Kurogane, Syaoran stepped in, "Kimihiro, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Syaoran," he smiled, "It's not my call. It's his," he turned back to me, "What's your choice, Mr. Heartnet?"

-`-,

Train looked suspiciously at Kimihiro and said he would think about the offer.

For the night, we shared a room in the sweeper's hideout. Mokona was already asleep in my arms. "What do you make of this?" Fai asked me.

I had no idea how to answer. I may have been the newest addition, but I had been watching through my clone's eye the whole time. It seemed like an easy transition for all of us. Except Sakura, of course, but she already knew that I was searching for someone else at that point, "Honestly, I don't mind it. Then we'll have someone who knows the woman. He might even know the guy who did it. If nothing else, he'll give us an extra hand in battle."

"Right, and we're just supposed to trust him? I don't think so," the ninja commented.

"You trusted me," Fai pointed out, "Besides, he doesn't seem like the lying type. I don't think he has it in him to lie about something serious." His judgment seemed to stop Kurogane from arguing his point.

Suddenly, Kurogane looked agitated again. At the same time, Fai put on a knowing face and glanced to the door. "Would you have said the same thing if he _weren't_ standing right outside the door!"

The door opened to reveal none other than Train Heartnet. He looked a bit more relaxed than before, but still had a determined face. I couldn't tell what he decided, but he had thought hard about it.

"Mind if I use Mokona?" he asked.

"Of course not," Fai said with a smile. "However, we need to wake him first."

I woke him and he jumped up onto the dresser. "Okey dokey! Watanuki!"

"Oh, that was fast. So you've chosen?"

Train looked dead serious, "Say I wanted to go, what's my price?"

"Same as theirs, your most precious possession. In your case," he pointed, "It would be your freedom."

He cursed, "How would you take it away?"

"It can be done a number of ways. It all depends on your choices."

Train thought hard for several minutes. "I can't do that," he finally answered. "I can't just throw it all away. I'll help you while you're here. I can take you to the house where Echidna lived, but I won't go with you."

All Kimihiro did was nod and fade away. Something didn't sit right with me. The way he just disappeared without a word, he had never done that before. He knew something we didn't, something we would probably never know.

We were all silent for a moment as tension filled the room. Fai was the one to break it, "Well, to begin with, Mokona? Can you sense any feathers here?" We had nothing else to do but get straight to business.

"Hmm," Mokona concentrated before answering, "Yep! It's close too!"

I turned to Train, "We can't leave until we find it."

He nodded, "Well, if that's the case then we should start early tomorrow. This is a huge city and easy to get lost in. Plus, I have to catch a criminal for a friend. I won't be able to stay with you all day."

"That's more than enough," I told him, "We just need a good start, then Mokona will lead us to it." With a final nod, he left us to sleep.

-`-,

A few hours later, Fai strode down the stairs. He was perfectly silent and looked far more serious than before. "May I speak with you?"

"Whatcha need?" I asked. I was only awake to clean my gun. Sven and Princess had just gone to bed.

"Earlier today, when we first met Sven and Eve, she said something that troubled me. I was wondering if you could tell me what she meant."

"Maybe, but why don't you just ask her?"

"Were you paying attention?" he said in a teasing tone, "I doubt she would explain it to me. Eve already has no trust in me." He sighed, "Anyway, she said 'He isn't human.' Care to elaborate?"

I could understand Eve's fear of him. The way he moved reminded me of a deadly assassin ready to attack. It reminded me of my old self, "Eve's… special. My guess is she reacted to your magic, and felt you were different than a normal human. I can tell from experience that it felt nothing like Tao, or anything else on this world."

He looked up, slightly relieved, "That child can sense magics?"

I shook my head, "Not really. You saw her change her hand, right? She has nanomachines in her. My best guess is they reacted weirdly to your magic and that's the only conclusion she could come up with.

"Eve… she's been through much, hasn't she? Even though she's so young."

"Hmph, not as young as Syaoran, and I can only imagine what the three of you have seen."

Fai chuckled, "I suppose you're right."

We stayed silent for a moment before Fai spoke up again, "Now that that's cleared up, may I lend you a hand? I won't be much help but you know what they say, two heads are better than one."

"You should probably sleep. Like I said, this is a huge city. Traveling it won't be easy," I suggested. He didn't look tired, but he was also good at hiding.

"I don't need much sleep," he assured with a wry grin. "This is a projectile weapon," he said examining Hades, "How does it work?"

"It uses explosives to shoot a metal bullet like this one," I explained, holding one of Sven's burst bullets. "This chamber holds six bullets at a time. After they're fired you have to reload like this," I pulled out the chamber and loaded it. Snapping it back in, I looked at Fai, "Wanna try it?"

"Not really. Weapons aren't exactly my thing. I bet Kuro-chi would want to, though," he replied. "May I see it?"

I hesitated for a moment. Giving a perfect stranger an orichalcum gun freshly cleaned and loaded with newly made burst bullets… well I've had worse ideas. I handed Hades over, "Gun rule number one: don't point it at anyone you don't wanna shoot." He cradled it in his hands as he inspected it, "Did your home have guns?"

"No, the closest I had was a cross-bow. It wasn't has technologically advance as this world."

"Past tense? Did you give up your home?"

"Do you really want to know my price that bad?" he showed a mischievous smile.

"Is it really that big of a secret?" I matched it.

He laughed at my question, "If I were to ask why you murdered so many, would it be easy to answer?"

I shifted a bit, "It's that obvious to you?"

Fai nodded, "I've known many killers in my time… There is always something in their eyes, and I won't ignore it. My price… has a long story behind it. Without that, it seems more than meaningless, but I gave up a phoenix tattoo that spanned my back."

"I don't suppose that tattoo was an heirloom?" we both laughed this time.

"Not at all! It actually means nothing to me now, things changed while we were traveling," he passed Hades back to me.

"How long were you traveling together?"

He thought for some time about this question. "Well, it depends on who you ask. Kuro-papa and I were traveling for a little under two years, Syaoran was technically with us for six months less. He'd tell you less than a year, though. That's just how he is."

"Why would he lie? He definitely doesn't look the type."

"You ask difficult questions. He's not technically lying, he's just," he sighed, "not giving himself credit? How would you put it?" he turned to look behind him. Kurogane was leaning against the wall at the base of the stairs. I had no clue when he got there.

He shrugged, "I'd say he's being an idiot as always."

Fai laughed, "Now that's just mean, but I won't deny it. He can be foolish about it."

"Yeah, except that answers nothing I've asked. What happened to make him say that?"

"It's not for us to tell, ask him later," Kurogane said. They really didn't want to open up. I guess it was understandable, considering how I refused to travel with them.

"We should all get some sleep now. No point in wearing ourselves out, right Kuro-rin?" Kurogane motioned upstairs and started in that direction. "Good night, Train." Fai followed.

"G'night," I answered. _Well,_ that _got me nowhere._


	3. A Helping Hand

"Wakey-wakey! Train says it's time to get up!" Mokona startled us all. She was jumping on all of us, from me to Fai to Kurogane and back again. Kurogane grabbed Mokona before he could finish his fourth round.

"What the hell?!" he yelled. I don't think he could really think of anything else at the time. We were all groggy.

Fai reached over Kurogane's back and pulled Mokona away from the angry man, "It's far too early for violence, Kuro-chu. However, you should wake us more gently next time, okay?"

"Will do!" Mokona smiled his usual smile and bounded out the door. Soon after, we heard a crash below us.

"What has that pork bun done now?" Kurogane grumbled.

"We should probably head down. Mokona said Train was ready."

"Go on ahead! I'll be down soon," Fai waved me off.

"O-okay. See you downstairs."

-`-,

The little puff-ball came bounding down the stairs first. Next came Syaoran, looking as attentive as he had when I first met him. I was beginning to think he never got tired, "Where's the others?"

"They'll be down in a minute," he smiled politely as Sven came out of the kitchen.

"Breakfast's almost ready! I made flapjacks and bacon. That alright with you?"

"I don't think I've had 'flapjacks' before… Smells good though," Syaoran said as Mokona jumped on his head.

"I tried it already! It was delicious!" Syaoran took the fur-ball off and smiled at him, her… it? Anyway, I noticed he was in the same clothes he had on yesterday and decided to remedy that.

"We need to get you guys some new clothes. You look like a circus," I said. He looked a little surprised, then nodded.

"That would help out quite a bit," Fai and Kurogane came down the stairs. Fai looked strangely refreshed, especially after how late he stayed up last night.

"What the hell is bacon?" Kurogane asked, very obnoxiously.

"It's pig meat. Ever have pork before?" I asked.

"Yeah, we had pigs where I come from."

"We didn't, but I'm sure I had it somewhere along the line," Fai responded. He walked past me and stuck his head in the kitchen. "Anything you need help with?" he asked, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Eve came out, hands full of plates and silverware. Considering they owned none of these, all of it was probably made from shed nanomachines. The thought disgusted me a bit, but I thought it best not to mention this to the trio.

"I'll help with that," Syaoran said as he picked up half the stack of plates. Eve just nodded and began setting the table with him. I leaned against the wall, watched, and waited for the food.

Eve glared at me for a second, then said, "It's great to have help for a change. Train could learn a lot from you." Syaoran didn't know what to say. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her.

"Same old Princess!" I said and hugged her.

"Get off of me!" she shoved me off and crossed her arms. I laughed loudly and sat in my usual seat.

Kurogane sighed, "Great, _another_ idiot," he sat across from me and leaned back in his seat. He turned to the kid, "Got any leads?"

Syaoran shook his head, "I looked on Sven's computer last night. There is no recent news or legends about power sources or strange happenings besides a Tao incident a few years ago." He finished up with the plates and took his seat to the left of me.

"I can steer you in right direction," I told them as Sven and Fai came out with the food. Sven and Eve took the head seats and Fai plopped down with the rabbit next to Kurogane. "I know a guy who probably witnessed Echidna being taken. His mind ain't right, though," I grabbed some hotcakes and chowed down. "I can't stay for long, I gotta catch a thief."

"Sounds good with me," Sven started, "Feel free to use the hideout while you're here. Eve and I have to get goin-"

"Dammit! Stop stealing my food!" Kurogane clutched Mokona by the ears, "You need a thief? Here you go, lock him up!"

"Kuro-daddy's being mean to me again!" Mokona giggled. Kurogane dropped her and she bounded to Fai, "Save me Fai-mommy!"

Fai just laughed, Kurogane focused on his food, and I had no clue what to do, so I just ignored it. "So, if that's the plan, meet me in the living room in ten minutes," I took my dish to the sink and ran upstairs to prepare myself for Precious.

-`-,

Fai and Kurogane got up soon after Train had, leaving me with Sven and Eve. It was quiet between us and very awkward.

Eve broke the silence, "How did you meet the others?"

"Hm? Oh, well, we only met a bit ago, actually. I started traveling with them awhile after they began our last," I paused trying to think of the right word, "Quest, of sorts. I was still paying my debt before that."

"You know, your friends said you'd say that when asked," Train said from behind me. I turned around, surprised he snuck up on me, "They also said you had been traveling for only six months less than they had. Wouldn't elaborate on it though."

"It's all a matter of opinion. I technically was imprisoned until recently, but time paradoxes occurred. That's the easiest way to explain it," I looked down to my plate, finished, and walked off to rinse my plate.

Eve followed me into the kitchen, "You never answered my question. I thought Fai would be the type to dodge one, but not you."

I smiled sadly at her, "It's just not my story to tell, I guess. It's not very easy to explain either."

Eve nodded, "We don't have much time to talk like this… No matter how you feel, they care very much about you. Don't waste their care." I widened my eyes at her, but I felt warm from it. "I can clean these, you have to get going or Train will leave you behind," she finally spoke.

"Thank you, Eve," I said quietly and left. I would have insisted on helping, but I had a job to do.

I walked into the living room and immediately had clothes thrown at my face, "These should fit you well enough. They at least fit in with the fashion here," Train grinned at my confusion, "Go ahead and change, then we'll head out." I glanced at Fai and Kurogane to see that they had already gotten into new clothes. In the bathroom, I changed as fast as I could.

"All ready?" Train asked upon my arrival.

Fai and Kurogane nodded while I voiced, "Yes."

-`-,

The hike to Creed's house wasn't all that long, it was decently close to the hideout. Still, it would have been a lot easier with a car. His house was out of the way and in the middle of a huge field. This made it much easier for the both of them to hide out and keep peace. I hadn't checked up on them in a long time, but I doubted Creed wanted to live yet. Who knows what we would find there.

"How do you know these people, if I may ask?" Syaoran asked after we had left the city.

Unlike the entirety of _their_ lives, mine wasn't so secretive, but I almost answered vaguely just to mess with them. Knowing Syaoran, he would probably accept it. "They were my enemy a few years back, when I was partnered with Sven and Princess. They wanted to take over the world, Creed even begged me to join him in the crusade. His group had a pair of Taoists that could give anyone the art of Tao," I began, "Creed used them, with specialized weapons and armor, to create an army. Needless to say, we stopped him with the help of some other sweepers. I elected to let them go back into society, well most of them anyway. Echidna fell in love with Creed, so she took him here to try and fix him. The battle left him indifferent to living."

"So he went insane?" Kurogane asked.

"Basically. I don't know how long ago Echidna left, but he might not even be alive right now. She did everything for him, including feeding him," I gave a warning glance to the trio. I didn't want them to think everything would be pleasant at the old house.

We were almost to the porch when Mokona popped out of nowhere with huge eyes, "The feather is being use _real_ close!"

"Wha-" was all Fai could get out before the door busted off its hinges with a swirl of power. They reacted quickly, more so than I expected. Fai grabbed Mokona and jumped behind Kurogane while the larger cut it in half. By the time I looked back to Syaoran, he had a sword drawn and ready. I had no idea where either had pulled them from.

"What the hell was that?!" I shouted in their general direction.

"You're about to find out," Fai smirked and ran in with the others in tow. I followed not really knowing what to expect from this, or _who._


	4. Creed's Feather

In the house, a man stood in the center of a large, empty room. He held the feather close to him and whirled around to face us. "You! He told me you'd come! He said to stop you, or she dies!" he raved.

"Creed!" Train stepped in front of us with his hands away from his weapon. "Put, whatever that is, down. We're here to help you, I swear," he started to approach the man.

"Train, why are you here? He didn't say you'd be, why didn't he?!" The feather lit up again. Before any explosion occurred, a blue stream came from behind me and latched itself around the feather.

"I can't hold it for long!" Fai yelled over the increasing wind, "Get him away from it!"

Train nodded and lunged for Creed. They both toppled down and Fai pulled the feather to himself. Creed ceased struggling under his weight, "NO! They must die! If they don't, the hunter will kill her!"

"Hunter?" I perked up, "What was his name?" I lowered my weapon for the moment. This man was being threatened, he might not have attacked otherwise.

Train let him go and they both got into sitting positions. Creed's eyes never left Train's, "I don't know. He came and took Echidna and left me behind. He said to kill you with that feather or else!"

Train sighed, "Anything else you can tell us about this 'Hunter?'" Creed shook his head quickly. "I can't believe Echidna really got kidnapped. She really is powerful, even with him being useless," he said quietly to us, "Are all the feathers like this?"

I nodded, "They can be deadly when used wrong, but they are very important to me."

Fai gave the feather to Mokona, who ate it. Even though Train looked surprised, he chose to ignore it for the time being, "So that's the kind of evil that's out there? Is it your job to deal with it or something?"

"More or less," I said, "It is my responsibility and mine alone, but-"

"We gladly volunteer to help him out!" Fai cut in, "What kind of heartless souls would we be if we left a fourteen-year-old to fend for himself?" I smiled at him.

"Fourteen?! You travel dimensions to fight evil and you're only fourteen?! Princess is _three years_ older than you!" I nodded and let Train think it over for a minute, "You said you gave up seven years earlier. You were only seven when you made that bargain? What is with these overly mature children?"

-`-,

They stayed silent while I ranted. Fai was grinning ear to ear while Syaoran just looked perplexed. Kurogane's eyebrow was twitching with agitation. In the midst of it all, Creed had begun to cry.

I turned to him and knelt, "What am I going to do with you?" I sighed.

He responded, "P-please! Can you save her? Don't lie to me!" I silently nodded, even though I didn't think it was worth it, "Then bring her back for me! I can trust you to, I need her here and you're the only one I can trust! Promise me you'll bring her back."

I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to turn around and leave it to the trio. I wanted to get out of that house and never return. Somehow, something forced me to stay right there, look him in the eye, and say, "I promise. I will bring her back without fail."

Even though I said this, I had already denied the deal. I had no clue if I could still make the trade. I didn't even know why I decided to promise him, I just did.

When I looked to the others, they were passing looks and mentally calculating what to do next. Each one of them had a different feeling about the development. Fai was the hardest to read, but didn't seem to care. Kurogane looked worried about a new addition, who knows why. Syaoran was unsure, but, knowing him, he was more worried about my price than anything.

"I have to make a call." I said and left the little house. I got out my phone and dialed quickly, "Hey Sven? I need a huge favor."

-`-,

After helping Creed off the floor, we went outside to meet Train. He was finishing up with his phoning device and turned to us, "Is Creed put back together?" I nodded. "Good! Then I need to ask for your help. If I still can, I want to travel with you. And if that's possible, I need to wrap up one last case, which is where the help comes in."

"Kimihiro sells wishes, he can still help you. But… is it really worth it to you? I don't know how you'll end up paying, but your freedom is… it's not easy to pay," I said in a warning tone. He had no pressing reason to go with us, only a promise that he never had to make.

"Yeah, well, let me worry about it, kid. It's not the first time I've had no say in my life," he sighed, "Anyway, you guys being travelers, I assume you know how to pick up information?"

I nodded, "Of course."

Train started to fumble through his pockets, "Good, I need you guys to help me find this girl," he held up a wanted poster of a young woman with long, straight hair flowing over her shoulders. She looked nothing like a criminal, but her bounty looked large.

Fai looked over my shoulder to read it, "Nope! Can't read it at all!"

"So you're an illiterate wizard?" Train (hopefully) joked. His face was set with a smirk.

"Mokona only translates spoken language, not written," he grinned back.

"I can read it," I started, "It says, 'Maria "Precious" Thompson. Height: 5'1, age: 24, Caucasian, naturally brown hair, non-lethal.' It also gives a list of crimes and preferred weapons. She's been seen in over 50 countries since her first crime two years ago. Within the last year, she has stolen… 11 million dollars in jewelry alone!"

Fai started laughing hysterically, "How much can on woman loot without getting caught?"

"She's stolen the most expensive jewels in the world. Well, all but one, which is where we need to go next," Train pulled out a map of the country. "This is where we are currently," he pointed to Elsida City and dragged it straight across the page, "And this is where we need to be. We need to get on a train by tonight."

Fai flinched a bit, "By t-train?" He looked sick already.

"Yes, that's the fastest option and the only one that will get us there in time," Train looked up, "Have an issue with trains?"

"They make me sick," he admitted.

"I take personal offense to that," Train joked and rolled up the map. "How did you survive this long with motion sickness?"

Fai just grinned, "Well, I flew or transported to where I needed to be. It's a lot faster and more convenient I assure you."

They smiled at each other for a moment more before Train broke contact, "Too bad we can't all be wizards. So, we'll take the train and be there in a couple hours," he gave a final nod and lead us back to the station.


	5. Precious

The train ride was mostly uneventful once I introduced Fai to Dramamine. He's lucky they sell it on the food cart, or he would've been shit out of luck. While he slept, Syaoran, Kurogane, and I came up with a makeshift plan to capture her. Usually the police worked well with the sweepers, but these three had no license, so we would have to sneak around quite a bit. In the end, we decided on a simple herding technique; chase her to a single exit where Fai would be waiting to capture her. Brilliant.

We arrived ahead of schedule, so I decided to spend some money and buy us all dinner. Not like I was going to need it anyway. I had already decided to wire whatever's left to Sven's account, but for now I had plenty of money to blow, and I was going to blow it on seafood.

"Do you have anything not from the sea?" Fai asked the waitress cautiously. It was hilarious how many of his weaknesses I found out about in one day.

The waiter looked him up and down before saying, "We have a children's menu."

"Ah, then bring that to me I guess," he smiled brightly but the waitress rolled her eyes and walked away.

I laughed, "Why didn't you just say you didn't like fish? We could have gone somewhere else you know."

Fai looked over the kid's menu, "But you're paying and this is what you wanted, so I'll have the hamburger with macaroni and cheese, please."

Everyone else ordered quickly and Fai tried not to look at the fish and crab we were eating. Kurogane apparently loved to mess with Fai when it came to his food choices. It seemed like his only way to get even with the wizard's constant antics.

Dinner took a weird turn when Mokona popped out and wreaked a bit of havoc by stealing our food, but other than that it was just a fun, somewhat rowdy night.

Of course, the night wasn't over yet.

-`-,

While Train, Kurogane, and I all snuck into the building, Fai kept post outside near a staff entrance. In order to organize, Train had given us all tiny ear speakers to coordinate our movements. We all stayed in separate hallways, ready to chase Precious into Fai's magic. The wait kept me tense, but soon I felt the presence of someone above me. I closed my eyes and wondered if it was a security guard or not. Either way I was supposed to stand still until Train gave the order to move.

I followed that order until I got a warning message from Fai, "Guys, Mokona senses a feather. My guess is our thief has it and is in the building, be careful."

Immediately, Kurogane and I both spoke up to say we were moving in. Train may have seen what the feathers can do, but fighting against that kind of power was too dangerous. We couldn't leave him alone.

I heard a heavy sigh over the line, "Fine, but only because I know I can't convince you otherwise..." there was a pause, then a very serious, "She's here."

I ran toward the room Train was in and heard some loud bangs. I'd heard the sound a few times before and knew it was Train's gun. This only made me run faster.

I skid to a halt when a foreign girl came into view. As soon as she saw me, she scowled and turned a corner. I ran after her, remembering that Kurogane was stationed that way. Even with her having the feather, our trap was still seeming to work.

As I ran down the corridor, I saw her stop shortly and turn down the next hallway. Kurogane was right behind her and we ran together to catch her.

"Damn she's fast! Where the hell is Train?!"

"He should be right behind us!" I looked back and couldn't see him, "It's probably the feather's magic speeding her up!"

I worried about Train as we chased her. The flier said she wasn't lethal, but I couldn't help it. Still, the most important thing right now was getting the feather back.

We tried our best to keep up with her, but she made it to the door far before we did. Luckily, it was the door Fai was guarding. I saw a bright light as she threw it open. We stood just outside the door as she floated in Fai's cage with a shocked look on her face.

Fai just smiled, "I think you have something that belongs to a dear friend of mine. Mind handing it over?"

Precious glared, "I'd rather not!" She pulled the feather out and broke the magic sphere around her.

Just as I was pulling my sword out, a blinding light erupted around us.

-`-,

Precious came into the room like she owned the place. Her confidence was practically its own entity, and it would be her downfall. Once she was in the middle of the room and about to take the jewel, I jumped in front of the exit, "That's not yours, you know. I'd leave it there if I were you."

She jumped and spun faster than I thought possible, "Sweeper, right? I think I'll take it anyway," she winked and threw a small ball at me. I dodged it and pounced on her with a few quick tranq bullets. Somehow, they all missed. With a track record like mine, you'd have to be a taoist to dodge my shots. Then I remembered, she had the magical bullshit feather. Great.

I let her slip past me as per the plan, but our plan hadn't considered the speed. I chalked it up to the glories of having the feather and decided to take the roof instead. I looked over the edge to see Fai casting his spell. In my usual dramatic fashion, I waited until the last second to throw my flash grenade in and pull the feather away. As everyone got their vision back, I made sure Precious had no escape options, "Ready to surrender yet?"

"Hell no-" she began, but soon realized her magic was in my hands. She grit her teeth and refused to make eye contact with me.

"Good! Stay docile while I cuff you please. It will make things easier," I lifted the feather up, "Mokona, mind eating this, or whatever you do to it?"

"Sure thing! I'll use one of Mokona's secret techniques! Super Vacuum: medium power!" she said and sucked it up. It didn't seem like the most useful technique but Mokona was proud to use it.

I grinned and cuffed the fugitive, "Now, let's get you down to the station and get my cash! Of course, we're gonna have to walk," he teased, "Tonight just isn't your night, is it?"

Precious scowled and rolled her eyes, "Just get this over with."

"With pleasure!"

-`-,

Train made us stay a few blocks from the police station so he could avoid questions about who we were. It didn't take him long to come back with a stack of what I learned earlier was the currency here.

He winked and said, "Now, we wait for Sven and Princess to get here. I'd usually make my way to them but I think you need a break from the train."

Fai smiled gratefully, "Yes, I'd very much like that."

With a nod, Train continued, "For now, let's find a hotel and talk about what's going to happen next. I don't want to be blindsided by anything if I can help it."

Kurogane just snorted, "There's not much we can do for you, we don't even know where the hell we'll land." He glared at Mokona who just jumped in his face.

"I try my best but I can't control where we go!"

"Yes, yes, Moko-chan. He knows, I promise," Fai cut in before the two made a scene and placed Mokona in his bag, "I suppose you have a hotel in mind that'll fit us all?"

Train shrugged, "Not really, we'll just look around and get a few rooms. In fact, this looks good enough." He pointed to a small bed and breakfast across the road.

It only had single bed rooms and was mostly used for couples retreat. Train and I opted to share a room, while Kurogane and Fai did the same to save money. The room came with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates for us to share. I tried the wine, but it was not like any other alcohol I had had and did not like it. The chocolates were delicious, but Train ended up eating the majority. Faintly, I heard Fai cooing on the other side of the wall and guessed that he drank the majority of their wine. I chuckled and watched the show Train had put on the TV.

"It's called Los Dias de las Vidas. It's a spanish soap opera, which just means it's very dramatic and over done for entertainment's sake. I just think it's hilarious even though I have no idea what's going on," he frowned as the people began to speak.

"I think Mokona is translating it, if you're not supposed to understand it. She doesn't control what is translated, I think."

"You never asked it to turn it off or something?"

"We never had a reason to. None of us speak the same language, so it would hinder us more than it would help," I explained, "We found that out on accident when Mokona was captured in the first world we went to." I told him about our run in with Shougo and Primera.

"Now that's just pure luck, being sent to a world that safe first time around. Plus you weren't in any huge predicament when you lost Mokona."

I shook my head, "One thing I learned on this journey is that very little is left to chance. We were meant to go where it was safe to leave Sakura in the apartment and search. Just like we landed in war torn worlds when we were more experienced."

"I don't believe in destiny, Syaoran. I make my own path and no one and nothing can change that," Train leaned back in his chair.

"Yet you agreed to come with us when you didn't want to," I smiled at him.

"That... was still my choice."

I laughed lightly, "You made a choice and something happened that changed it. I have a feeling Kimihiro knew you would change your mind as well."

"We'll agree to disagree," he said and turned off the TV.


	6. Off We Go

After the disappointing TV time, we went to sleep. In the morning, Sven woke us up knocking on our door. The other two were waiting and chatting with him while Syaoran and I got ready. Sven had pulled many hours of crafting to get me thousands of various styled bullets.

"Well, Mokona, still think you can carry all this?"

Mokona nodded with a grin, "Of course I can!" It sucked the bag into its mouth and happily jumped in my face, "See? All gone!"

I laughed, "Yea, it sure is." I felt the other's looking at me and turned to them, "Well, that's all I need. I assume we're on a tight schedule, so let's go."

Syaoran wasn't so sure by the look on his face. Fai and Kurogane ignored the matter and turned to say there thanks to Sven and Princess.

"Syaoran, you're way too young to have that worry on your face. I made my choice, for better or for worse, and I'm going through with it. I'll be back here eventually anyway," I grinned and rustled his hair before going to the others, "Don't miss me too much, guys. I'll be back before you know it."

Sven sighed, "I'd tell you to take this seriously… but I know you better than that. Just… don't get yourself killed out there, okay?"

"Me? Die? Please! It'll never happen!" I laughed and glanced at Princess. She looked normal, except for a hint of something strange in her eyes, "Princess? Are you worried about me? Haven't seen that face in a while."

She glared, "I am. I have to be because you're an idiot, but you'll be back to put us all in more debt. Maybe next time you'll think about how money works." Princess turned and left after that, probably to read or study. Whatever she did to calm herself.

Sven gave me a firm handshake and pulled me in for a hug, "See you soon."

I hugged him back and nodded, "Yeah, see you soon. Tell Rins I'm sorry for not telling her too. I'll let her get a hit in when I'm back."

With a final mock salute, Mokona began transporting us to a new world. It was weird to be sure, even imagining being inside the fluff ball didn't sit right with me. I closed my eyes and felt a wave of nausea come over me. Next thing I knew my ass was on the ground in front of a large welcoming party.

The girls smiled at us and spoke, "Welcome to Outo Country!"

-`-,

Train enjoyed getting all the attention from the women. I remember my other being just as overwhelmed as I was. Still, it felt nice to be in Outo again. It was midday, so it was lively in the street as we were ushered to City Hall. Train had to be registered and Kurogane wanted to change the rest of our names too.

"But Big Puppy! How will all of our customers know we've returned if we have different names? Business will drop and we won't be able to take care of our kids," Fai pouted.

"I don't care about your damn shop, Mage. Hunting will get us plenty of money anyways!" he argued back as we stepped inside.

Train eyed me questioningly, "So you've been here before?"

I nodded, "Yes. This place is used to travelers, so all we need to do is register. Last time we came here, Fai registered us using pictures because we didn't know the writing system, and… well, Kurogane-san is-"

"I WILL MURDER YOU IF YOU DON'T CHANGE IT!"

Fai laughed maniacally, "Fine fine! Kuro-grouch! No need to kill me yet." He waved Train and I over to get everything settled. We registered with our real names, Fai using magic to translate and sold our foreign clothes to afford the same house as before. It was saved for us in case we ever returned. It seemed to almost be a monument of the foreigners who 'saved Outo.'

"Oh, they kept the place nice while we were gone. Just needs some cleaning and restocking. We can reopen by the end of the week," Fai said as he inspected the place.

"So, who's going to explain about this place? It looks a lot like my world, but it feels… strange."

Fai nodded, "You'd be right. It's very lively here, but there is a certain danger. Which is why you and Kuro-puppy won't be working in the shop with us."

Kurogane ignored the name, "Our job is to hunt Oni. They appear in certain areas at night and hunters quell their numbers. There's a level system to tell their strength, but I don't care about it. Just shoot them and don't get killed."

"Sounds like my old job, but I haven't killed anything in a long time," he sighed.

"Get back into the swing of it or you will die. Did you really think you could come with us and not kill a few people along the way?"

"I generally try damn hard not to put any more blood on my hands, but I'm not stupid enough to let myself die over it."

"Good, we start hunting tonight."

Fai stepped in, "And in the meantime, help me clean this place up. We'll also have to get some clothes to fit in here. Why don't you and Kuro-chin buy the clothes while Syaoran and I get the dusting done. That way you can get acquainted to the city."

Train accepted the chore easily while Kurogane grumbled, "Seems like a plan to me. What's your measurements?"

Fai grabbed a piece of paper and wrote mine down but didn't give his, "I'm sure Kuro-muu has mine figured out by now. Have a good trip." He pushed them both out the door and locked it behind them

Kurogane whipped his head around and gave him a death glare, saying something that I couldn't quite make out as Fai waved from the inside. I turned and smiled as I got to work.

-`-,

Keeping up Kurogane's angry pace was a bit harder than I expected. He grumbled and complained about 'the damn mage' with 'a damn silver tongue' who 'wouldn't shut up even if he was dead and buried.'

I learned something about them that day. Their comedy act was more like a ritual than anything else. It's something they needed to happen for whatever reason. Besides, I figured it was going to be something I relied on too.

"This is the tailor," Kurogane pointed out an old fashioned building and we stepped in. There was a wide variety of clothing on the walls and I looked everywhere for something comfortable to wear. I found dark pants, a white shirt, and a good looking leather jacket.

I found Kurogane getting clothes for the other two. He was dressed in some oriental styled clothes and held two café uniforms for the others. "You must do this a lot, huh."

"Tch," he started, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, you know what would fit them and what they would like. Figured you're the errand boy."

His eyebrow twitched, "I am not the damned errand boy!"

"Sure you're not. That's why you're here. Or do you like this more than cleaning?"

He kept silent and paid for everything before rushing outside, "You're in no position to start something with me. I know you're trying to figure out where we fit, or maybe just where _you_ fit, but you'll only find out in time."

I stretched out, "Fine, I won't poke the bear for tonight, but you need to start talking about what we're doing. Like it or not, I'm in this with you guys now and secrets won't help. I can't do shit without all the information."

"You'll get it eventually," was all he responded.


End file.
